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Researchers at the University of Leeds calculate that around 1.5 million Titanic-sized icebergs each year are melting into the sea every year in the Arctic and Antarctic. This is causing sea level to rise by just 49 micrometers per year - around a hair's breadth.

At that rate it would take 200 years for the oceans to rise by 1cm as a result of melting sea ice. If all the floating ice in the world melted it would cause sea levels to rise by just 4cm. In comparison if all the ice on land melted it would cause a rise of 70m. Sea levels will also rise as the oceans get warmer because of thermal expansion.

But Professor Andrew Shepherd, one of the authors of the study published in Geophysical Research Letters, said the tiny rise caused by melting ice was still significant.

He said it will be important to factor in the small changes caused by melting sea ice in judging sea level rise in the future, especially if global warming accelerates. Melting ice caps also accelerate climate change as seawater absorbs more sunlight, therefore it will warm quicker than when the sea is covered in ice.

"Over recent decades there have been dramatic reductions in the quantity of Earth's floating ice, including collapses of Antarctic ice shelves and the retreat of Arctic sea ice," he said.

"These changes have had major impacts on regional climate and, because oceans are expected to warm considerably over the course of the 21st century, the melting of floating ice should be considered in future assessments of sea level rise."

I like iced coffee, and after a couple of cups of hot coffee in the morning, I switch to iced. One thing I noticed was that as the ice melts, the level of coffee goes down. Ice is less dense when frozen. You can see that when water freezes and expands!

But then, I'm just a lowly drop-out. What do I know........

Four boxes keep us free: the soap box, the ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box.

A lot of these comments seem to presume that it has been a prediction of global warming, that sea ice melts would cause sea levels to rise significantly. This isnt really the case.

There has been some thought that it would rise a little as sea ice melts, because fresh water ice apparently displaces less ocean water than its volume. But the contribution from this effect has never been predicted to be very large (a cm or two), at least not that I have ever seen.

A lot of these comments seem to presume that it has been a prediction of global warming, that sea ice melts would cause sea levels to rise significantly. This isnt really the case.

There has been some thought that it would rise a little as sea ice melts, because fresh water ice apparently displaces less ocean water than its volume. But the contribution from this effect has never been predicted to be very large (a cm or two), at least not that I have ever seen.

I like iced coffee, and after a couple of cups of hot coffee in the morning, I switch to iced. One thing I noticed was that as the ice melts, the level of coffee goes down. Ice is less dense when frozen. You can see that when water freezes and expands!

But then, I'm just a lowly drop-out. What do I know........

Notice all the green on the outside of the thick white lines? That was unsubmerged land 18,000 years ago during the maximum extent of the ice age.

Those white lines are were the sea level is now with all that ice melted.

In most sports, cold-cocking an opposing player repeatedly in the face with a series of gigantic Slovakian uppercuts would get you a multi-game suspension without pay.

In hockey, it means you have to sit in the penalty box for five minutes.

These jackasses assume that all the water that melts into the ocean stays there forever. Such FUCKTARDS. They should learn a little bit about the water cycle.

The language is unfair. A crucial component of the water cycle is runoff from streams, into rivers and back into oceans. Truth be told, much of the precipitation caused by ocean moisture finds its way back into the ocean eventually.

The language is unfair. A crucial component of the water cycle is runoff from streams, into rivers and back into oceans. Truth be told, much of the precipitation caused by ocean moisture finds its way back into the ocean eventually.